CB4 Trade Rumors: Trade Deadline

When we think of teams going after big-name free agents this summer, thoughts usually turn to New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Miami.

But what about Oklahoma City? With the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and James Harden and a 12-10 record, they're looking a lot better on paper right now than any of the aforementioned teams. And as ESPN's Jalen Rose notes, they could be a force with the addition of a big man that draws double teams.

"If the Thunder can get a Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire-type player, they will be contenders in the West," he writes. "They need a power forward who can draw double-teams, defend the post and rebound his position."

Remember this, too: the Thunder have the projected cap space to sign a Bosh or Stoudemire. If neither minds playing in a smaller market with a younger team, the Thunder's talent and skill level -- and possible playoff appearance this spring -- might be an attractive sell.

Could you imagine that team with Bosh in the fold? Talk about an exciting future in OKC.

This is what Marc Stein had to say too:

"Still wondering why we're always saying that the Thunder, for all the cracks about unfashionable Oklahoma City, are the envy of countless teams? On top of the wildly promising four-man core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and James Harden and the good crowds, OKC is poised to make its first significant foray into free agency. The Thunder still have to convince skeptics they can lure a big-name signing to their humble outpost and prove they're willing to pull the trigger on big spending -- it wouldn't surprise anyone if they merely seek a quality piece or two and save some of the money to pay all the kids -- but sunglasses are definitely required with an outlook this bright."

mh sorry, but I don't see this happening. Not cos I don't like the thunders, I love them and Durant is just something special, but is just that they play in Oklahoma City.
Let's think one sec: why would Bosh want to leave the Raps? Two possible motives in my humble opinion: endorsment money or title.
The Thunder won't gurantee any of the two. Oklahoma City is hardly a bigger market than Toronto, first, and I don't see the Thunder having a shot at the title in the near future, second, (let's say 5/6 years) unless they pull a Duncan in a future draft.

I am sure most teams in the NBA that can afford Bosh and need of a really good PF will be interested in him. Somehow I don't see a team located in Oklahoma to want to spend max money on a player right away after just getting a franchise only 2 seasons ago.

The thunder/sonics shows you how having patience with losing seasons and good drafting can transform a team in about 3 seasons which is much better then constantly trade/sign free agents and have the team troll in medicoracy.

Manufacture a sign and trade -- in which Jeff Green would be the headline talent heading back to Toronto along with some other smaller pieces.

Or sell off some of their current contracts in salary dumps to create the additional cap flexibility -- an achievable task but one which the Thunder's management has shown no interest in so far and I don't think they will in the near-future either.

I'd love to see the Thunder take some risks and look to bring in another All-NBA talent to put alongside them too. I think it's a better option than playing it safe, keeping Jeff Green, and adding a $8-11 million type talent.

I would think that every team in the NBA is "interested" in Bosh. He is a sick player. However there are not many teams that have a chance at getting him but unlike a lot of teams OKC does. THey have an AMAZING young core. Bosh would be a great piece and they have a lot of money to throw at him as well

No way CB4 or even Amare for that matter, are gonna sign in OKC. If either of them by some miracle were lured there, I'd say the Thunder become legit contenders in the West. But it's not happening. Man I hope CB decides to resign.

Bosh isn't going anywhere

Chris Bosh hasnít been alone in this media speculation. His 2003 draft contemporaries, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are facing similar speculation. Most coming under the heading of if you donít have any real news, make something up! Major media outlets have even gone so far as to poll their own writers to create stories about which stars are most likely to change teams in the blockbuster 2010 free agent pool.

What they are not saying is NBA players who can command maximum dollar contracts almost never leave their original team except by trade. And there are really sound reasons for why max free agents re-sign with their old clubs. MONEY!

It has been widely written (and the math isnít that hard to do) that if any of the big 3 (maybe 4?) free agents were to directly sign with another team, they would be giving up annual raises averaging more than $1,000,000 per season plus a guaranteed 6th season putting about $30,000,000 of their projected lifetime earnings at significant risk.

Rockets willing to deal for Bosh immediately

1. Houston, We Have A Target
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

BOISE, Idaho -- Here are the best (and last) dribbles of chatter from the NBA grapevine as collected from various executives, scouts and insiders who gathered to watch 16 teams play two games each in a four-day span at the annual D-League Showcase:

Some 40 days from the league's annual trading deadline, no one in Boise could say with any certainty that the Toronto Raptors are going to be willing to move Chris Bosh ahead of the Feb. 18 trade buzzer.

No one has a firm read on Toronto's intentions yet.

What we did hear, though, is that the Houston Rockets have made it known that they would be willing to trade for Bosh immediately Ö even if they don't get a guarantee they can re-sign him this summer.

That's the problem with any sort of Bosh deal at midseason. Even if the Raps do decide they want to make Bosh available now and avoid the threat of losing him without compensation in free agency after July 1, there's an overwhelming majority of teams that wouldn't dare consider trading for Bosh in February without some sort of assurance they could keep him.

But Houston is different.

Sources say the ever-aggressive Rockets are sure a half-season in Houston could convince the native Texan to pledge his long-term future to a city players love as well as a team that sits four games over .500 without the injured Yao Ming and the exiled Tracy McGrady. The Rockets also have the requisite stash of young assets, as evidenced by their success this season without marquee names, to assemble a legit deal for Toronto to consider Ö and without insisting that McGrady's mammoth $22.5 million salary has to be part of it.

You figure Chicago, Miami and New York also are on the short list of teams that would be willing to risk trading for Bosh before we get to the summer. Those are the teams thought to have the best shot at signing him in free agency and could inherit Bosh's Larry Bird rights with a deal before the deadline. None of them, though, can offer a better talent deal than Houston. The Heat and Knicks -- with their heavily stripped-down rosters as the countdown continues to July 1 -- can't come close.

The Raps recently have inched back to .500, just got point guard Jose Calderon back from a hip injury and still expect bruising forward Reggie Evans to start playing in the second half of the season after recovering from a foot problem to provide some needed toughness. So there's a good case for Toronto to put off any major decisions until the offseason.

The Raptors have long believed, furthermore, that Bosh will participate in a sign-and-trade this summer -- if he decides to leave Canada after saying repeatedly that he loves the place -- before walking away outright from the franchise that drafted him.

I nonetheless was advised this week to expect Houston to make a hard Bosh push during these next 40 days if the Raptors invite it. Or perhaps even if they don't invite it.

New Bosh to Bulls trade rumor - WARNING: 10 on the ridiculous scale

In a rumor being discussed on 670 the Score, the Chicago Bulls would send Kirk Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas, and draft picks to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Chris Bosh.

Now the positive that this rumor has going for it, is that the trade works under the collective bargaining agreement. However, the positives of this rumor end there, as someone would have to be a fool to believe there is any validity to this rumor.

The Raptors would be trading for a scrub in Kirk Hinrich, who is shooting 36.7% from the field this year, the opportunity to give Tyrus Thomas a raise or let him walk, and a non-lottery draft pick, as the Bulls would surely make the playoffs with Bosh on the roster.

This would be the biggest steal in NBA trade history. At least in the Pau Gasol trade, the Lakers were forced to give up expiring contracts and a good young prospect in Marc Gasol, who was still on his rookie contract. In this trade, the Bulls get to dump a bad contract in Hinrich and another player who is up for a contract extension in Thomas. Talk about a deal!

Most things that sound too good to be true, are too good to be true. I think this is one of those things.